


Blood Brothers

by BlazeSRS



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: Everyone shows up eventually, F/F, M/M, No Beta, Nox technically isn't an original character?, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, TWIN TEALEAFS
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-23
Updated: 2018-07-23
Packaged: 2019-06-14 18:56:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,446
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15395268
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlazeSRS/pseuds/BlazeSRS
Summary: Before Mollymauk, there was not Lucien, but rather Lucien's identical twin brother, Nox. It follows Lucien as he suffers from the loss of his brother and finds him once again through the adventures of the Mighty Nein.





	Blood Brothers

20 years after the fall of Thordak in Exandria, two young twin tieflings are born. They were identical, sharing the same lavender skin, crimson eyes that lacked both pupil and iris, and curling black hair that seemed to shine with violet undertones in direct lighting. Lucien, named after the light, was born first by only a mere few minutes. He was serious, mature, hard-working, and followed the rules. Nox, named after the dark, was the younger of the twins and was almost the exact opposite of Lucien in personality. Where Lucien was serious, Nox was impulsive, laidback, and carefree. He loved to try new things and get himself into all sorts of trouble, but no matter what happened, he always had the brightest grin on his face. 

For many years, Lucien was convinced that Nox should have been named after the light and himself after the darkness. Nox's grin seemed to embody the sun and he was able to light up whatever room he was in. He was so warm and caring towards people and would help anyone wherever and whenever he could. Lucien… Well, Lucien wasn't that. It was rare for him to have a smile on his face, he was rude and brash towards others, and seemed to give off the vibe of constant annoyance when faced with social contact. It wasn't usually his intention to come off that way, but he just did. He often found it difficult to talk to people. It unsettled him and brought a tension and buzz under his skin that made him feel incredibly uncomfortable. He usually left the talking to Nox. Nox was good at talking to people. 

For the majority of their lives from a young age, it had just been Lucien and Nox. They were both young - far too young - when their parents had up and vanished out of their lives. No amount of searching for them heeded results or evidence of what had happened to them. Without a trace, their parents were ripped from their lives, leaving behind only two tieflings boys. Their neighbors had only looked on in pity, no one of them even attempting to help them find their parents. They've been on their own since.

As children, they had stayed in their hometown, a small town to the north of Port Damali and Trostenwald. They were young and inexperienced with the world and its people. They found it safer to stick with what they knew. It may not have been entirely the safest, but it's what they knew and what they had. They knew all the streets, shops, and secret hideaways that would allow them to survive. They knew the abandoned buildings that they could sleep in during the nights, which stalls could afford to give up some food, which people to avoid, and which would take pity on them and spare a few extra coin to aid their survival. 

Lucien would beg people for food and supplies, charming his way into getting what they needed, despite his obvious distaste for situation he's put himself into. Even though he is blunt and direct in conversation, many adults and city officials find themselves respecting and even enjoying the presence of the tiefling. He was mature and held himself together and only trying to survive with his brother. Some people would help, sparing their extra food or coin, but most weren't nearly as kind or generous. Even less would go as far as to attempt to attack them, to yell slurs their way and demand that they leave because this was no place for them. Lucien and Nox starved more often than they didn't. 

Nox didn't try to rely on people like Lucien did. Instead, he'd sneak away and find people to steal from. Usually, it was bigger stalls that could afford to lose some extra commodities and often threw out food after it begins to spoil or stale. On some occasions, thought, Nox would pickpocket people who would be cruel to both him and his brother. Assholes didn't deserve to keep what they had. It wasn't a lot, of course, just enough to help the two of them survive until the next time they needed to gather food or supplies. He found that it was difficult to feel bad for someone when that person would rather you starve to death than to help you. Lucien hated that Nox would go against the law and steal from people. Stealing was wrong. It was illegal. They could get into a lot of trouble. He never made a move to stop Nox, though. He'd be willing to accept anything, even breaking laws, if it meant the safety and happiness of his brother. 

The two of them learned to survive on the streets together. Nox would get into trouble and Lucien would get them out of it. It became something like that of a routine. It wasn't easy by any means, but they know it's easier when they had the other to rely on. Neither wanted to think of what would happen if they face the all-too-real possibility of losing the other. They just had to believe that no matter what, together, they'd both carry on and continue living. 

Lucien and Nox spent well over a decade in their hometown. For many of those years, they would tip toe a line between villagers enjoying their presence and wanting them out of the town and off their streets. While not everyone was racist towards them, many of them were. A lot of the townsfolk wanted them to stay as far away as they could as possible. Adults would ban them from their shops and stalls, kick them out at a moments notice because they were tieflings, they were demons, and they were not to be trusted. The racism only got worse the older they got and any pity they received as children seemed to fade away as they grew older. When their horns grew in and their claws grew sharp and lanky limbs were replaced with muscles from years of weather, running, and hiding, people's attitudes towards them shifted. They were no longer the pitiful, homeless orphans on the streets. People began to see them as the devilish, trouble making, chaotic teenagers with demonic blood that they feared. 

Kids, on the other hand, loved them. Nox would play with them and always offered food and coin to any children he found that needed some help. "They're just kids, Lucy," Nox once claimed when Lucien stressed that they needed the supplies for themselves, "They can't fend for themselves like we can. What's wrong with offering them some help along the way? After all, not all of them have an awesome older brother to get them out of trouble and to rely on." The grin Nox gave him every time he talked about helping others lit him up light the lights of Winter's Crest. It made Nox so happy to know that he was making a difference in someone else's life. Lucien stopped trying to stop Nox. Instead, he started giving out his supplies to any child he found needing help, too.

Late into their teen years, Nox gets into bigger trouble than he had ever gotten himself into before. A man from the empire, perhaps military, Lucien didn't know, came into town. He was an asshole, immediately sneering and snarling at the sight of the two homeless tieflings. He disregarded every civilian and orphan just asking for some help to survive and even kicked after away from his mount when they leaned too close. It was one of the few times Lucien had seen his twin brother angry. Nox dug crescents into his palms with his claws until blood began to drip from between the tight curls of his fingers. He snarled curses laced with Infernal viciously under his breath and his eyes narrowed to slits. His rage was palpable in the air; a tidal wave of tension radiating off him, laced with the venomous aura of magic that lingered with the Infernal spewing from behind his bared fangs. He looked everything like the demons they had descended from. It was one of the first times that Lucien really realized that Nox was more than his guise if mischief and joy. 

The high-horsed human paid Nox no mind. After the sneer that was sent their way passed, the human had looked away and acted as though they and the other civilians didn't exist. He even disregarded the working class and some higher middle-class townsfolk. He saw everyone as beneath him, they came to know. Nox was impulsive, that day, and did something that had gotten nearly the entire town in trouble. He stole from the human. 

His fingers breezed easily into the pouch by the human's hips as he slunk beyond the horse. As quickly as he appeared, he had slipped away back into the shadows. In his grasp was a large pouch of gold and platinum and a handful of stolen important-looking documents that he stole from under the nobleman's nose. Lucien wanted to yell at him, to tell him that what he had done was so stupid and that he'd get into so much trouble if he ever got found out. Yet, he didn't, as he knew that causing a scene would only raise their chances of getting caught.

In the amount of time it took for the human to realize he'd been thieved, the twins had split the stolen funds amongst themselves and the other beggars on the streets. The documents - some contract or another - were torn and discarded to the wind and trash. The human nobleman took it out on the entire village. He had guards join him in frisking, arresting, and beating the homeless for information. Nox was horrified. Bile rose up in the back of his throat, burning. Tears began to build in the corners of his eyes, though they dare not fall. He had caused that. These innocent people were getting hurt because of him. He had to do something, anything, to help them. Nox took a deep breath and steeled his nerves, shoving his anger and fear deep down. He took a steady step forward, prepared to parade out to the man and claim responsibility for what he had done. Lucien reacted instantly, roughly grappling Nox and holding him tightly to his chest.

"Let me go, Lucien! They need my help!" Nox struggled against his brother. He managed to wiggle an arm free and used it to try to shove Lucien away from him. It was a weak attempt and the angle was wrong, but dammit, he had to try.

"You can't help them if you're dead, Nox!" Lucien tightened his grip. His hands began to shake and his throat began to twist. "If you go out there, they are going to kill you. They will make an example out of you."

"They're going to hurt them instead if I don't!" Nox argued, desperately trying to pull and tear himself out of Lucien's grasp.

"I know," Lucien said, "Believe me, I know. But...But they aren't going to kill them unless they know who the thief is." It was a lie. One that weighed heavily on Lucien conscience the moment it left his mouth. This was his brother and he was lying to him. He was desperate, though. Lucien rationalized that he could be okay with lying if it meant protecting Nox, if it meant saving his life from and angry, bloodthirsty noble from the empire. Nox didn't stop fighting against him. He continued to shove and struggle against Lucien, at one point even daring to bite into Lucien's arm. 

The bite caused Lucien to tear his arm back on instinct and allowed just enough space for Nox to twist out of his grasp and further back into the alley they were hiding in. The bite mark on Lucien's arm began to dribble small amount of blood, but it was nothing life threatening, nothing that would scar. It still caught Nox's attention, for a brief moment. Still, the younger of the brothers stepped forward, preparing to force his way past Lucien. He took another step and dared to look at his brother. For as many times as Lucien had seen Nox angry, Nox had seen Lucien scared even less. It was more than fear, Nox realized. Lucien's eyes were frantically moving and watching Nox's every move, his body was tense and prepared to tackle down his brother if needed. His stance wasn't as commanding and his body was shaking drastically. The beginnings of tears were building up in the corners of his eyes. No, Lucien wasn't just scared. He was terrified and pleading for Nox to just stay there. To just stay alive.

Still, Nox took a slow step forward. Then, he took another, and another. He walked until he was standing directly in front of Lucien. Nox glanced past him, toward the outside of the alley, and was met with violently moving shadows. He took another step, but instead of moving to pass Lucien, he walked into him. Nox dropped his head down onto Lucien's collarbone and wrapped his arms tight around his brother. His claws buried tightly into the back of Lucien's shirt. The courage that he had worked up had shattered and sobs began to wrack his body as he tried to pull Lucien even tighter to himself. 

Lucien relaxed under Nox's grasp as he returned the embrace, pulling his brother as close as he could and planting a gentle kiss in his hair. He whispered "it's not your fault" and "it's going to be okay" over and over as he attempted to reassure his younger twin. They stood there for what felt like hours, but was only a short few minutes, before the sound of clattering armor and shouted commands pulled their attention back to the front of the alley.

"We need to know," Lucien said, quietly. He placed his hands - still shaking - on Nox's shoulders and gently pried him away. The younger's grip tightened in the back of his shirt, before Nox gave a small, soft nod and allowed Lucien to guide him further down the alley and out of the opening on the other side. The two did not let go of each other. 

The two took a brief moment to gather their meager belongings hidden in one of the abandoned buildings. Then, Lucien grabbed Nox by the hand and led him out of their home, out of the only life they've ever known, and into the uncertainty of the rest of their lives, guided only by the faint lighting of a new moon.

**Author's Note:**

> Shoutout to Drekkeri, writer of Have You Met The Tealeafs for inspiration of this AU. I highly recommend checking out HYMTT because it's just. So Good. I can never get enough of Molly and Lucien being twins. Drekkeri has been a HUGE help with the concept and development for this AU and I cannot stress enough how much I recommend checking him out.
> 
> I needed to post this before I lose inspiration on writing it. I'm splitting one long chapter into a bunch of shorter ones because I can't keep focused on it and if I post it, then I HAVE to focus on it. Also, what the heck is formatting bc I have no clue.


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